Are ANSI Standards Really Voluntary?

摘要

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has a difficult task: how can it promulgate consensus standards,written entirely by volunteers in subcommittees and with no enforcement authority? In the case of ANSI's safety-related standards,how does this organization still warrant the attention of machine builders,OSHA,users and labor? In short,how does ANSI obtain respect and avoid being the Rodney Danger-field of safety standards? The answer revolves around whether ANSI standards are really voluntary,or something much more.